Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Documents Prove One Goal of Fast And Furious Was Gun Control

America finally knows one reason why those "geniuses" high up in ATF, the DOJ and probably the White House thought it would be a great idea to sell assault weapons to the violent Mexican drug cartels, or why we let them keep their weapons once they were used in committing crimes. Newly released documents show the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) wanted to use their covert operation "Fast and Furious" to help whittle down American's right to bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

Emails show ATF big shots wanted to use the illegal gun sales encouraged by the ATF in operation Fast and Furious to justify a new gun regulation called "Demand Letter 3". The new rule would require U.S. gun shops to report the sale of multiple rifles or "long guns." The fancy name, Demand Letter 3 comes from the fact that it would be the third ATF program demanding gun dealers report tracing information. If that's how then name projects, why didn't they name Fast and Furious, "Really Asinine Project One?

On July 14, 2010 after ATF headquarters in Washington D.C. received an update on Fast and Furious, ATF Field Ops Assistant Director Mark Chait emailed Bill Newell, ATF's Phoenix Special Agent in Charge of Fast and Furious:

"Bill - can you see if these guns were all purchased from the same (licensed gun dealer) and at one time. We are looking at anecdotal cases to support a demand letter on long gun multiple sales. Thanks."

On Jan. 4, 2011, as ATF prepared a press conference to announce arrests in Fast and Furious, Newell saw it as "(A)nother time to address Multiple Sale on Long Guns issue." And a day after the press conference, Chait emailed Newell: "Bill--well done yesterday... (I)n light of our request for Demand letter 3, this case could be a strong supporting factor if we can determine how many multiple sales of long guns occurred during the course of this case."

This revelation angers gun rights advocates. Larry Keane, a spokesman for National Shooting Sports Foundation, a gun industry trade group, calls the discussion of Fast and Furious to argue for Demand Letter 3 "disappointing and ironic." Keane says it's "deeply troubling" if sales made by gun dealers "voluntarily cooperating with ATF's flawed 'Operation Fast & Furious' were going to be used by some individuals within ATF to justify imposing a multiple sales reporting requirement for rifles."

Many of the gun dealers who worked with the ATF said they only went through with suspicious sales because ATF asked them to. And in some cases they knew it was the wrong thing to do.

In April, 2010 a licensed gun dealer cooperating with ATF was increasingly concerned about selling so many guns. "We just want to make sure we are cooperating with ATF and that we are not viewed as selling to the bad guys," writes the gun dealer to ATF Phoenix officials, "(W)e were hoping to put together something like a letter of understanding to alleviate concerns of some type of recourse against us down the road for selling these items."

ATF's group supervisor on Fast and Furious David Voth assures the gun dealer there's nothing to worry about. "We (ATF) are continually monitoring these suspects using a variety of investigative techniques which I cannot go into detail."

Two months later, the same gun dealer grew more agitated.

"I wanted to make sure that none of the firearms that were sold per our conversation with you and various ATF agents could or would ever end up south of the border or in the hands of the bad guys. I guess I am looking for a bit of reassurance that the guns are not getting south or in the wrong hands...I want to help ATF with its investigation but not at the risk of agents (sic) safety because I have some very close friends that are US Border Patrol agents in southern AZ as well as my concern for all the agents (sic) safety that protect our country."

"It's like ATF created or added to the problem so they could be the solution to it and pat themselves on the back," says one law enforcement source familiar with the facts. "It's a circular way of thinking."

On April 25, 2011, ATF announced plans to implement Demand Letter 3. The National Shooting Sports Foundation is suing the ATF to stop the new rules. It calls the regulation an illegal attempt to enforce a law Congress never passed. ATF counters that it has reasonably targeted guns used most often to "commit violent crimes in Mexico, especially by drug gangs."

The ATF isn't the only part of the government trying to use Fast and Furious as an excuse to erode the second amendment. Last month The Hill reported Congressional Democrats were getting itchy for more gun control.

“This hunt for blame doesn’t really speak about the problem,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein at a recent Senate Judiciary hearing while discussing Fast and Furious.

“And the problem is, anybody can walk in and buy anything, .50-caliber weapons, sniper weapons, buy them in large amounts, and send them down to Mexico. So, the question really becomes, what do we do about this?”

The ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) have introduced a dedicated firearms trafficking statute, but it has stalled in the House Judiciary Committee.

Tomorrow (12/8) Eric Holder is scheduled to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee, Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa told The Daily Caller that the top congressional watchdog plans to push Attorney General Eric Holder on the need to fire people at the Justice Department over Operation Fast and Furious.

The first person that should be fired is the Attorney General Eric Holder himself.